


Preparations

by JulaShona



Category: Final Fantasy VII (Video Game 1997), Final Fantasy VII Remake (Video Game 2020)
Genre: Clerith, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-17
Updated: 2020-05-17
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:20:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,497
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24232711
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JulaShona/pseuds/JulaShona
Summary: Cloud wakes up on one morning to only find the other half of the bed empty. To his bad luck his girlfriend had to be away for some preparations quite early in the morning. However, she leaves him a note.
Relationships: Aerith Gainsborough/Cloud Strife
Comments: 1
Kudos: 44





	Preparations

**Author's Note:**

> Please, note that **English is NOT my native language**! So, please, be gentle with me.

It was somewhere 9 am in the morning and Cloud started to wake up. He ran his hand over the other half of the bed only to find it empty.  
Suddenly, he shut his eyes open and lifted his upper body to have a closer look.  
“Hm?”, he murmured irritated over the unexpected emptiness of the bed.  
He looked around the bedroom, but he couldn’t find anyone. With a sigh he got up and got ready for his day.  
After her arrived the kitchen in the apartment he noticed a note on the counter. He took the piece of paper which said:

_“Good morning, Mr. Merc! 😉 I know that you need your beauty sleep, otherwise you wouldn’t look this handsome, so I didn’t want to wake you when I left for the wedding preparations. At the front door I left you a box with flowers to deliver ‘till noon. The address is on the box, as always. Don’t be late! xoxo Aerith.”_

Cloud chuckled after reading the note. His girlfriend was even teasing him on letters, but he couldn’t resist and think that it made her somehow cute. Right after that he realized that yesterday Aerith mentioned that she would leave earlyer in the morning for the wedding of Madam M and Chocobo Sam. It sounded really weird to him that these two guys were marrying each other. This could only end up in a big explosion, he thought. However, Madam M might be quite dominant, but he could imagine that Sam might be the right person to calm her down. Just like Aerith seems to comfort him, whenever he feels down. Or how she supported and encouraged him with his own business. Or how she keeps him cool whenever something makes him angry. She never blamed him for his past or anything else. She accepted him with all his flaws. Maybe that’s one of the reasons why he fell for her so much. In fact, he never knew how that happened, but it did, and he hasn’t regretted it for even a moment. He was never as happy as now. After reading her note again it kind of had an unfamiliar impression. If someone hadn’t known that she was participating in preparations for another wedding, that particular someone might could have thought that she was preparing her own wedding.  
This made him think for a while. It’s been two years now, since they could successfully stop Sephiroth in fulfilling his evil plans. Since a half year they were living together in their own apartment in the sector 5 slums supporting each other with their businesses. Whenever he met Tifa and the others for a drink at the 7. heaven bar in sector 7 Barret was always the first one to ask: _“So, when do the bells start to ring, Cloud?”_ , with a mischievous laugh as if he was teasing him. Cloud always felt uneasy with this subject as he never gave it a real thought. After asking about it Barret answered: _“Dude, I’ve never seen a couple getting along this well and complimenting each other so much, except of me and my wife, of course.”_  
Cloud put the note back to the counter and went to the cafe machine for a morning coffee, so that his mind was able to work better. While he waited for the coffee to run into the cup he drifted away with his thoughts again.  
Were they getting along so good? He never really realized it. Everything with her felt so natural. He never really gave it much attention, but since Barret told him so he came to notice some moments where he has seen different reactions. For instance, when people have arguments. Aerith was always stubborn so that he mostly just gave in, but when there were times where he completely disagreed, they always had a moment of silence where they could literally feel the guilt of the other one. However, it never took them long to reach for each other again and settle the problem in peace. Whenever Barret and Tifa were arguing about something they ignored each other for days. Cloud could never imagine doing that with Aerith. He might would feel like he has lost a part of himself. He somehow was glad that their relationship was so light weighed and natural and not complicated or tiring.  
It was never a hard task to make her happy. She was always bursting out of delight when he gave her a nice bouquet of flowers on her birthday or on other occasions. She actually ignored other gifts that weren’t flowers. He also found out that she secretly dried or pressed some of the flowers he gave her and kept them safe in a box which content he never knew until lately. Whenever he asked about it she always just gave him a sweet smile and said: _“It’s a secret.”_ Well, not anymore, he thought with a smirk on his lips, while he took a sip of the hot coffee. Marlene told him by accident, and he was quite happy for that. He didn’t realize that she was treasuring these gifts this much. Even though flowers were always destined to die someday she preserved them to keep them for forever. His heart skipped a beat when he found that out and it made her so much more precious to him. He really wanted to treasure her, but he sometimes had the feeling that the more he wanted to treasure her the more he got afraid to hurt or lose her. She never gave him a feeling of uncertainty or uneasiness. She was straight forward when it gets to their feelings. She always made sure that he knew that she loved him no matter what. It sometimes just comes out of the blue and still makes him a little flustered. He told her that she doesn’t need to do that, though it made him quite happy to hear that. However, her answer was: _“I don’t have to, but I want to.”_  
Not to forget that making love with her was literally heaven. He never felt so completed, not even after he got his real memories back and finally discovered himself. She filled in a gape in his soul that nobody else could fill in. She causes him to show sides he would never show to anyone else. She makes him say thinks he would never say to anyone else.  
He realized that his cup was empty and decided to get started with today's deliveries. He had quite some deliveries to make but he will definitely find some time. He already knew for what or who he would spend the time with. With this on his mind he took the box and got out to get to his bike.

At the afternoon in sector 6 Aerith was preparing the stage for the band and the banquet tables with some flower decoration.  
“Is that alright, Aerith?”, an assistant asked her after he attached a long garland of flowers in front of the stage.  
“Yes. You can leave it like that.”, she answered while she arranged the table decoration by herself.  
“Oh my, this look just gorgeous, my dear. I knew I could trust you.”, Aerith heard Madam M saying behind her.  
Aerith turned around and smiled. “I’m glad you like it. I didn’t expect you to spend so much money for you wedding.”, she grinned.  
“Money is time, I know. However, this is an important event. I have a reputation on the line. Important people will be present.”  
Aerith smiled with a disbelieved expression. “Ya sure that you just don’t want it to be a nice day?”  
Madam M flinched as if she got caught. “No!”  
Aerith woman just giggled by that obvious reaction. What woman wouldn’t want her wedding day to be one of the most memorable moments in her life?  
“What about you guys?”  
“Hm?”, Aerith looked questioned to Madam M.  
“Don’t tell me he hasn’t asked you yet?”  
Aerith put on a face as if she was trying to remember something. “No, why do you ask?”  
“Are you kidding me?!”  
Aerith somehow got surprised and tilted irritated her head.  
“You’re not, right?”  
Aerith just shook her head.  
“Your chemistry is insanely incredible. The hell, I envy you for that! How is that even possible that you aren’t married yet?!”  
Aerith looked for a moment down to the gras under her feet just to let the said words get into her head. Suddenly she heard sounds of a bike. Both women turned their heads to the entrance of the property the wedding party would take place.  
“Speaking of the Devil.”, Madam M commented when they saw Cloud stop in front of the entrance with his Fenrir.  
Aerith waved with delight over his appearance, but suddenly she answered softly: “Our bond might go beyond marriage.”, before she headed over to Cloud, who was waiting for her.  
Madam M only looked after her with an impressed expression.

“Heya!”, she greeted him after giving him a kiss on his cheek. Suddenly she looked with warning eyes at him. “Did you deliver the box I left you on time?”  
“Of course, I did.”  
“Then why are you so late, Mr. Merc?”, she asked him and propped her hands on her hips.  
“I needed to get somewhere before I’d pick you up. Is that a problem?”, he explained himself.  
“What was so important to keep me waiting?”, going on with her teasing.  
“Do you really want to know that?”, he asked lifting one brow with a smirk on his lips.  
Aerith somehow felt that he was hiding something interesting. “Well, someday I will find out anyway, ya know.”, she answered smiling mischievously.  
Cloud just smirked over that reaction. He knew what she meant by that. However, she didn’t know that she would find out earlier than expected.  
Aerith jumped behind him on the bike and wrapped her arms around his waist, but suddenly she stopped him starting the bike.  
“Could can we take a stop at the church?”  
“Sure.”  
Cloud didn’t complain at all to visit this place. It’s a place he will always connect to the beginning of their relationship. For him everything has changed then and there. He couldn’t imagine what might happened if he hadn’t fallen into this church meeting her there again.  
He used to pick her up after he was done with his deliveries and took her for a ride. Sometimes he took her outside of Midgar to a nice place for watch the sunset together while having a chat about their day.

They just arrived at the church and nobody seemed to be there as always.  
Aerith instantly ran into the church over to her flowerbed of lilies.  
“Is anything wrong?”, she heard him ask her behind her.  
“Gladly not. I haven’t been here for a few days, because of the preparations. So, I was a little bit worried.”  
She stood up and sighed while she watched delighted through the church.  
“A lot has happened since we met here. Time passes so fast. Sometimes I have the feeling that it’s a little too fast. There are so many things and moments we could experience and see together. I don’t want to miss them.”  
“Me neither.”  
Aerith turned to look into his eyes just to give him a gentle smile. She was glad, that he felt the same way. They had one another and that was all that mattered. They were so powerful together that she believed they could achieve anything they wanted.  
An intimate moment started to build up around them where they could feel the deep feelings for each other by just looking into each other’s eyes.  
She passed him but turned right away to ask: “Shall we leave then?”  
Cloud took her hand into his and asked: “Before we leave close your eyes.”  
Aerith tilted her head feeling a little bit confused by that unexpected request. Then she suddenly lighted up and asked excited: “A surprise!?”  
Cloud smiled at her looking down to the floor while doing that. She was just too cute sometimes. “Yeah.”  
Immediately she closed her eyes and waited for the surprise to come.  
Cloud looked at her while her eyes were closed. He could see her excitement straight away as she couldn’t resist smiling the whole time. His heart started to take on a race. Her cute smile ensured him that he made the right decision and encouraged him to do what he planned to do now. That ‘s why he was so glad that she suggested to stop by the church. He would have gone there anyway.  
Aerith sort of got a little bit impatient as nothing happened. She was on the brink of complaining but within the next second she surprisingly felt Cloud putting on something on her ring finger of the hand he was holding so carefully. Her heart suddenly started to beat faster, and she was thinking about something she hoped might be happening right now. She was scared to open her eyes again, scared about the possibility that it wasn’t what she was thinking of, or that it might only be a dream she already had a few times.  
She was patient with him and would always be. She never pressured him to anything regarding their relationship, but that didn’t mean that she hadn’t any desires at all.  
“Aerith?”, her heard him say her name with a soft and demanding tone to open her eyes again.  
Hesitantly she opened her green eyes. After taking a little glance on the item on her finger, she felt like it almost took her breath.  
It was made of rose gold with a delicate flower on it that resembled her so much and which had on the center a small diamond on it. She has never seen something so beautiful like that. She looked him in the eyes and could only see love and softness in them, though they were infused with Mako. However, she always loved these eyes and felt like falling in love with this man all over again.  
“Let’s get married… Aerith.”, he just whispered to her softly, still holding her hand.  
Cloud waited for her to answer but she seemed to be lost in her thought. Just when he started to doubt that she wanted it as well he got tackled by her into the flowerbed.  
Aerith lifted her body a little bit so that she could look at him.  
“What took you so long?”, she asked in disbelieve what just happened.  
“I take that as a yes?”  
She slapped him gently on his chest. “Of course, it’s a yes!”  
Cloud chuckled silently about that and placed his hand behind her neck. Slowly he pulled her down to him until their lips met for their first kiss as engaged people.

This church resembled back then the beginning of their blossoming love. Now it’s the beginning of their blossoming marriage.


End file.
